​England defender Jarell Quansah has been handed a two-game ban following his red card against Mexico. Quansah was dismissed in the 54th minute of the 3-2 victory after a high challenge on Jesus Gallardo, which the disciplinary committee deemed serious foul play. As a result, the Bayer Leverkusen midfielder receives an extra suspension on top of the automatic one-game ban issued by FIFA’s disciplinary authorities. The 23-year-old former Liverpool man will miss England’s quarter-final versus Norway on Saturday (kick-off 22:00 BST) and a potential semi-final against Argentina or Switzerland. If England reach the final in New Jersey on 19 July, Quansah will be available to play.
The Football Association had been weighing an appeal, but the tournament regulations do not provide a route to contest this ban. The ruling further highlights perceived inconsistencies in disciplinary measures, particularly when contrasted with the case of United States forward Folarin Balogun. Balogun was shown a red card for serious foul play against Bosnia-Herzegovina and should have faced a two-match ban, but FIFA opted to suspend him for only one game and to delay the suspension for 12 months. United States President Donald Trump said he had contacted FIFA president Gianni Infantino to request a review of that decision. In a lengthy statement, FIFA explained that the ruling took into account “all of the specific circumstances surrounding the incident and evidence available” but did not detail the exact factors considered, prompting criticism from various quarters, including UEFA, Belgium, and Thomas Tuchel, England’s manager.
The situation contributed to controversy and international debate about refereeing decisions and sanctions, as France also submitted a request for review regarding Michael Olise’s yellow card from their win over Paraguay, which FIFA ultimately rejected.